


cream over moon

by rikli



Series: urban fantasy au [1]
Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Cat/Human Hybrids, Demons, M/M, Magic-Users, Mild Sexual Content, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Non-Graphic Violence, Shapeshifting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-13
Updated: 2015-12-03
Packaged: 2018-05-01 11:59:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5205089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rikli/pseuds/rikli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hakyeon wouldn’t have guessed that a simple request to find a pet would turn out to be such a challenging job. And there’s more to his client than he initially thought- instead of just one, he ends up finding two cats.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

For the first time since forever, Hakyeon wasn't happy to go to work. The weather outside was terrible; the rain was cold, bruising with the strength of the wind. Hakyeon didn't even think about bringing an umbrella with him- it would have been more of a problem than a convenience.  


When Hakyeon entered the office, his face was flushed and stinging with the cold. He was frozen to the bone. He hung his coat, heavy from the rain, and looked over at the old fireplace. He groaned, remembering the thing didn't work anymore.  


"Would it be bad to start a bonfire in the middle of the room?" he asked.  


Behind Hakyeon's desk sat Hongbin. He looked up at Hakyeon, a bit disoriented, as he was filling up some documents. He was dressed in his own clothes, the familiar handsome face in place. He took Hakyeon's appearance in and soon leaned over the stack of papers, the pen in his hand moving again.  


Hongbin's tone when he spoke was mockingly casual. "You can order something warm from downstairs. Oh, and get me a cup of coffee."  


Hakyeon wondered how it happened, and when, that his subordinates had started to take advantage of him and his benevolent heart. But the struggle against the wind and rain had indeed made Hakyeon hungry. Without a word, he turned on his heel and went out again.  


The tenement was old, and the door to the kitchen was conveniently placed inside the building. Whoever owned the place before probably ran some kind of business downstairs and lived on the upper stories. Now, the whole first floor had been all kind of businesses, and the next two Hakyeon had bought from an old friend of his parents. It was old, hadn't been renovated at all, so the price had been good.  


The cook wasn't surprised to see Hakyeon, he greeted him with a smile. It was toothy, his canines pointy. Hakyeon was almost sure the man was a rakshasa, but he had never dared to ask. He ordered the food at the counter, like a regular customer, but took the containers right off the cook's clawed fingers on his way out.  


In the office, Hongbin was lying on the sofa, his work long forgotten. The piece of furniture, red and old leather, was intended for the clients. More often, it was used for naps, and for overall lack of productivity.  


"No coffee?" Hongbin asked. He reached his hands for the containers.  


"I'm not going out in this weather," Hakyeon said. He shivered at the memory of the biting wind. The heat from the hot curry warmed his hands nicely but Hakyeon still felt like he needed an additional sweater to regain his usual body temperature. "You have it easy with living upstairs," he added, handing Hongbin the plastic utensils.  


"It's not that easy when you need to pay such high rent."  


Making an ugly face at Hongbin, Hakyeon turned to his desk. He moved the papers out of the way, and settled in his office chair; it contrasted with the rest of the room's décor, but every time Hakyeon brought the topic of remodeling the office, Hongbin and Sanghyuk protested. There were better things to spend their money on, and it wasn't like the clients were there for the exquisite interior.  


Speaking of Sanghyuk, he still hadn't come.  


Usually, Hongbin would have scolded Hakyeon for moving around the office in his chair, but he was too busy eating to do it now. Hakyeon pushed himself away from the desk, the chair rolling noisily against the hardwood floor. He went too strong and he almost toppled over when he stopped the chair right in front of the markings made with white chalk.  


Hakyeon looked over the pentagram, and shook his head. One of the lines was smudged, as if somebody had stepped over it.  


There was a piece of chalk left on the windowsill, and Hakyeon took it to redraw the line properly. The moment he sat back in his chair, the pentagram flared up for a second, and a very miffed looking Sanghyuk appeared.  


"I can't believe you blocked me yet another time," he huffed, stomping across the room. Hongbin wasn't afraid of Sanghyuk, not anymore, but he scooted to the end of the sofa nonetheless. Sanghyuk being a demon was one, but Sanghyuk being angry- it was a different level of risk. "And you had curry without me?"  


Both Hakyeon and Hongbin held out their containers, and said at the same time, "here."  


The portions were big, anyway.  


Sanghyuk took both offerings, balancing each of them over one knee. "It's been very slow lately," he said, munching on a piece of chicken. "We should put up some ads."  


Outside the window, the rain had lessened but the wind still rattled against the glass. Putting posters around the city would be pointless in given circumstances. They should try the internet, again.  


"Maybe there's nothing left to steal," Hongbin said, smiling whimsically.  


Hakyeon was ready to finish the paperwork Hongbin had abandoned, but the comment made him use the pen in a different way- he threw it right at Hongbin's head.  


Sanghyuk stretched after he dumped the empty boxes into the trash can by the door. "We can always take the usual detective jobs," he said. He didn't sound very happy about the idea. After a moment, he perked up. "Something might be coming right now!"  


Everybody froze, waiting. Hakyeon couldn't pick the presence of whoever was going to pay them a visit until they were almost there, a few seconds before there was a knock at the door. He really wished it wasn't about the usual detective job.  


It was Sanghyuk who opened the door, like the standard "come in" wouldn't suffice.  


The client - a man - walked in without saying a word. He could easily fall into the "tall, dark and handsome" description. All that was dark, though, were his eyes that were looking at Hakyeon and Hakyeon only. Had he heard about him?  


"They say- you retrieve stolen things, right?"  


From the corner of his eye, Hakyeon could see both Sanghyuk and Hongbin staring at the man. None of them expected his voice to be so soft; it didn't match the intensity of his gaze.  


Hakyeon instantly smiled. That was the job they had been waiting for. "You came to the right place," he said. Sanghyuk didn't go back to sit on the sofa, and Hakyeon pointed at the furniture. "Please, have a seat."  


The man's expression was closed off but he sank down into the sofa, taking a comfortable position. There was a long moment of silence; both sides were waiting for the other to say something. Hongbin raised his eyebrows at Hakyeon. Sanghyuk wasn't interested much, and he moved to inspect his pentagram, more concerned about his means of communication than their client. As long as there was somebody to pay for the service, it was enough.  


Finally, Hakyeon decided to break the awkward atmosphere. "What would be the thing you want to get back?" He was still smiling, genuinely curious. There was always a chance it was something they already had.  


"Rocket," the man said. He grabbed the armrest, and the leather crunched under his fingers. Hongbin snorted, and it earned him an offended glare from their client. Hakyeon kept smiling encouragingly at the man, ignoring Hongbin's lack of manners. "My cat."  


The corners of Hakyeon's lips turned downward. It was going to be the usual detective job after all. Hakyeon brought the smile back onto his face, even if it was strained. They did need money. Judging by the clothes the man was wearing, he wasn't going to spare money, especially if he'd sought Hakyeon for the job of finding a pet.   


"Was the cat a magical creature?" It was hard to believe anybody would pay money to find an ordinary cat. And yet, Taekwoon shook his head. "Any special traits?" Another shake. So it really was the simplest of jobs.  


Hakyeon took a look at the description of the cat. Black, big and fluffy, red collar. For sure stolen, because somebody actually had broken into Taekwoon's - that was their client name - house. A place worth of investigating, then.  


"I can drive you there, even now," Taekwoon said. It seemed he really loved the cat.  


When you were well-informed about the local gangs, looking for stolen assets was much easier than looking for a pet. But it was still much more pleasant than looking for people, and those where the easiest to find. The satisfaction was, most of the time, not worth the effort you put into. The ungrateful sons, hysterical brides, or even pet creatures- they were so much more burdensome. Finding a missing person was always stepping into a sticky affair.  


Not that good for them but to Taekwoon's benefit, they didn't have any pressing matters at the moment. Leaving Hongbin to finish the paperwork, Hakyeon decided to take Taekwoon upon the offer, and go check the crime scene. They should talk the payment, anyway.  


"Pentagram me if you need me," Sanghyuk said when Hakyeon went to the door.  


That pulled Taekwoon up with a start. Had he been really expecting regular humans in a place like this?  


Now he knew it wasn't the case.  


Hakyeon grabbed his wet coat, and, ignoring being professional, led Taekwoon outside by the arm.  


  


 

What Taekwoon had meant by driving them was his driver taking them there. He had a bright voice, and pointy ears.  


An elf working for a human? Or was Taekwoon really a human, with this odd aura of his? Even Hakyeon could feel the faint pinpricks of magic, the taste of it lingering at the back of his tongue when he took a deep breath in the confines of the car. They both sat at the back, and when the driver moved his head to glance at Hakyeon, it all started to make sense. His nose and mouth were quite big- the opposite of the features of pure-blood elves.  


"I'm Jaehwan," he said, smiling up at Hakyeon. "Mr. Jung's personal assistant."  


Taekwoon snorted, and smacked Jaehwan on the back of his head. "Drive," he said with a hint of a smile.  


They broke into a conversation right after Jaehwan made his way into the traffic. Jaehwan was easy to talk to, and Hakyeon was a great conversationalist. Taekwoon reminded silent, except for a couple of times when he scolded Jaehwan for telling something that was supposedly embarrassing. Hakyeon didn't think that- he found Taekwoon's antics that Jaehwan had described cute.  


For how quiet Taekwoon seemed at the first glance, the stories Jaehwan had shared gave Hakyeon a better picture of him. Hakyeon couldn't stop himself from giving Taekwoon a broad smile every time he sputtered an embarrassed "shut up" at something Jaehwan had said.  


The rain had stopped when they finally arrived but it was still pretty windy. Hakyeon shuddered; despite the air conditioning in the car, his coat was still damp, heavy on his shoulders.  


Taekwoon's house was nothing Hakyeon had expected. Judging by his looks, Hakyeon had suspected Taekwoon to live in an apartment downtown- better than Hakyeon's but not too fancy. When the personal assistant, and a sleek black car had come into view, Hakyeon had thought about some residence outside the city- Taekwoon was obviously rich, hence the willingness to throw his money to find his cat. Yet, the car stopped in front of a small house in the family area on the suburbs.  


Hakyeon looked at the other houses. "Could it be any of the neighbors?"  


It was obviously a mixed species area. Right next to Taekwoon's house stood one made of stone. It looked grim and unapproachable- a perfect place for goblins, dwarfs, or dark faeries. A white house adorned with tall towers a couple of blocks further was a perfect place for elves or light faeries.  


Taekwoon shook his head. "They liked Rocket. They even fed him sometimes." He looked around, his gaze darkening. "And they didn't see anything."  


It would have been hard for whoever lived in the cave-house to see something since they didn't even have proper windows. But it was strange the neighbor on the other side hadn't noticed anything. Their house was similar to Taekwoon's, and as Hakyeon glanced at one of the windows, a tiny sharp-teethed girl smiled at him from behind the curtain.  


Everything inside Taekwoon's house was intact. Not a single window or door had been broken.  


"Did they pick the lock?" Hakyeon asked, looking around. He checked all the rooms, and there weren't any outward signs of magic being used.  


"Yes, the back door was unlocked."  


Taekwoon had been trailing after Hakyeon the whole time. Hakyeon was wondering if he didn't trust him to go around the house unsupervised, or he didn't want to miss anything Hakyeon might find. Taekwoon once held his gaze, and the other time his eyes would drift across the room. Hakyeon just couldn't read him yet.  


There was a hardwood veranda at the back, and that's where Hakyeon drew the pentagram. With the aura of magic, thick and indistinguishable due to the presence of so many magical creatures, Sanghyuk's assistance was indispensable.  


Jaehwan was whining from the side, clutching at the back door's frame. "I hate these things."  


Taekwoon didn't react at that, his eyes trained to the circled star on the floor.  


There was no fire or smoke when Sanghyuk appeared right in the middle of it. The motion of flicking an invisible speck of dust off his shoulder was simply for show.  


"I had a feeling it wouldn't be easy," Sanghyuk said, skipping the greetings. He looked around, and then, without a word, stepped inside the house. Jaehwan's indignant squawk did nothing to stop him.  


"It's weird." They all followed Sanghyuk, with Hakyeon keeping them a fair distance away; it would have been harder for the demon to sense any supernatural energy with them hanging over his shoulder. "Something- Someone of magical nature was here but the energy-"  


"It's different."  


It was Taekwoon who finished the thought. Each of them wore a different expression: Jaehwan was looking at Taekwoon in exasperation, like Taekwoon had said something he shouldn't have; Sanghyuk was nodding in understanding, and Hakyeon's eyes were only ever focused on Taekwoon. Now Hakyeon was sure Taekwoon wasn't human, but the time was far from appropriate to inquire about it.  


"It would be easy to follow the trail..." Sanghyuk went past them, back to the veranda. He jumped over the railing, landing on grass, still fully green despite the season. "If it didn't disappear right here." He turned around to look up at them where they reminded behind the railing. Hakyeon could guess Sanghyuk next words all too well. "They used a teleport."  


  


 

"In and out," Sanghyuk continued as they got into the car. "They appeared in the yard, opened the door - probably with the help of magic - took the cat and disappeared the same way."  


All four of them were going back to the city. Jaehwan was squirming in his seat, glancing back at Sanghyuk through the rearview mirror every few seconds. Taekwoon sat in the front, which made it impossible for Hakyeon to see his face. There was something he wasn’t telling them, something that might be crucial to the investigation.  


Hakyeon furrowed his brows. Not only Taekwoon had insisted on tagging along, but the case turned out to be an odd one.  


Then, Sanghyuk asked the question Hakyeon was holding back since he'd seen Jaehwan for the first time this morning.  


"By the way," Sanghyuk started, tapping at the driver's seat bolster. "Are you an elf?"  


For the insolence of the question, Jaehwan kept driving steadily. "Half, to be exact. I got the ears from my mother."  


"Oh, so it was a misalliance?"  


Hakyeon could hear the pretense of innocence Sanghyuk had tried to project into the question. In his seat, Taekwoon started to fidget, a quiet huff of annoyance barely audible from Hakyeon's position behind him. For the second time, Hakyeon cursed the inability to see Taekwoon's face.  


This time, Jaehwan took offence. "We live in a modern society!"  


For how hermetic most of the species had always been, and continued to be even now, it wasn't that unheard of marrying outside of one. More conservative families would have looked down on you, but anti-discrimination laws still stood. The coexistence of humans and supernatural beings had persisted surprisingly well over the last century.  


"Weren't the kids laughing at you back in school? Calling you a 'half-breed' or something?"  


Both Taekwoon and Hakyeon groaned.  


"For the love of-" Hakyeon broke into a huff. Calling upon God's name in the presence of a demon would be too grotesque. "Manners, Sanghyuk. I know that down there, in Hell, they don't teach you-"  


"Hell jokes are so old, Hakyeon, and speaking of manners-"  


Sanghyuk froze, and only when the timber of his voice stopped ringing in Hakyeon's ears, it occurred to him why- Taekwoon was laughing. The whole morning, from the moment Taekwoon had stepped into the office, he'd barely smiled once. Hakyeon had been torn between blaming it on Taekwoon's foul mood, or maybe being an introvert, but now it felt like both statements could have been true and false at the same time.  


Fastening the seatbelts, Hakyeon leaned over. He could imagine Taekwoon's eyes squinted in amusement, but he still couldn't see it- Taekwoon had ducked his head, hiding his face like he was embarrassed of his sudden outburst.  


Hakyeon rested against his seat once more, the seatbelts coming into place. He found himself smiling, the squabble with Sanghyuk long forgotten. "Looks like one of us was funny, in the end."  


  


 

Hakyeon half expected Jaehwan to drive Taekwoon back - he wasn't sure why he had tagged along - but wasn't at all surprised when he climbed the stairs after them. This time, Jaehwan hadn't stayed in the car, either.  


If they wanted to know what the next step was, they were going to be disappointed, because Hakyeon had no idea whatsoever. Teleports were risky business, and dealing with people using them was as hazardous as using them yourself.  


"It's funny," Hakyeon said, even though it was far from being amusing. "Because not anyone can use teleports, yet it doesn't bring us any closer to figuring out who's kidnapped Rocket."  


Hakyeon always made sure to remember the details about his clients. They felt safer, and became more prone to tell him their secrets; that could immensely help him with the case. Taekwoon's face reminded impassive, and he plopped onto the couch even before the door shut close.  


Hongbin was sitting behind the desk. He'd changed his clothes into the ugly, baggy tracksuit the man he shapeshifted into wore. "Anything interesting?" he asked. The papers were still unfinished, Hakyeon noted, taking a look at them.  


"Teleports," Hakyeon said with a tight smile. Hongbin cursed. "There's going to be a lot of digging." Hongbin cursed again; he wouldn't be able to be himself for the next couple of days, or maybe even weeks. Hakyeon hoped for the first- he'd rather not be forced to look at the thug's face for so long. Hongbin's face was far more pleasing to look at.  


"I'm stealing Sanghyuk, then." Hongbin rounded the table, holding the pants tightly by the hem. With his narrow hips the camouflage clothes wouldn't hold.  


There was the same grim expression on Hongbin's face when his body shifted. He grew wider, bulkier, his features morphing into a different kind of sharpness altogether. The contrast was stark- now, Hongbin was rather unattractive.  


Jaehwan stepped behind the couch; Hongbin's smile was baleful and ugly.  


"Go, we won't be waiting," Hakyeon said in dismissal.  


Even the way Hongbin walked was different. Hakyeon couldn't blame Taekwoon and Jaehwan for being stunned- he himself had never gotten used to it.  


It was Jaehwan who broke the silence that fell over the room. "So, before... was that his real face?"  


  


 

Jaehwan asked the same question a few days later, right after Hongbin got back from the recon.  


Everybody said no, except Hongbin.  


"Hey!"  


Hakyeon hid his smile in the palm of his hand. It wasn't the first time they made fun of each other- it was a frequent occurrence at the office. The presence of their recent client only made Hakyeon laugh harder. The joke was never not funny.  


While Hongbin sputtered, his features back to normal, Jaehwan kept looking confusedly between all of them. Hakyeon, with a weird sense of satisfaction, noted Taekwoon's lips had been curved in amusement the whole time.  


Hongbin's brows were drawn into an angry straight line. "How many times do I need to repeat myself- this is my real face. I even showed you photos!"  


"Oh," Jaehwan's eyes finally settled on Hongbin. "I haven't seen any."  


Hongbin's sputters continued, for an entirely different reason this time.  


It was already dark outside. They'd been waiting for Hongbin's return since the morning. As on every other day of the past week. Not only Hakyeon, but both Taekwoon and Jaehwan had been at the office every day since day one. Even on Sunday, with Taekwoon's lame excuse of, "I don't think gangs have days off", which Hakyeon had fought not to comment on.  


"Did you learn anything?"  


Before coming in, Hongbin must have visited his apartment upstairs. The horrendous tracksuit was gone, and he was wearing a pair of jeans and a sweater. "Not much," he answered, propping himself up on the windowsill where Sanghyuk had already been sitting. "They know there's someone new in town, but just like us, they have no idea what's up. There haven't been any contact attempts." He combed his fingers through his damp hair- he must have taken a shower, or maybe it was raining outside. "Which sucks, because the longer I used Big Kim's body, the stronger Sanghyuk had to glamour him so my cover wouldn't be blown off."  


"I know it won't help much, but they have a demon in their squad, too," Sanghyuk added.  


Everybody fell silent.  


Sanghyuk was right- it didn't help much. Hakyeon was aware of that.  


Before any plan had a chance to form in Hakyeon's head, his phone pinged with a new message.  


With only a week spent in each other’s company, Taekwoon had gotten quite friendly with Hakyeon, enough to peek at his phone when he opened the text.  


"It's Wonsik," Sanghyuk announced to the whole room. There was a sharp inhalation by Hakyeon's right as Taekwoon pressed harder against Hakyeon's side, startled. Sanghyuk had a bad habit of appearing behind people, just like now- he didn't even try to hide the smug smile on his face, leaning over Hakyeon's shoulder to read the text.  


"I'm not going anywhere," Hongbin grumbled from his spot by the window.  


Privacy be damned, and at this point even Jaehwan was peering at Hakyeon's phone from the other side of the sofa. "And where is 'anywhere'?" he asked. The message didn't contain enough information to come by, just a simple "stop by later tonight".  


Nobody really backed off when Hakyeon stuffed the phone back into his pocket. It was hard to tell when, but it slowly started to feel like it wasn't just Hakyeon and the two brats anymore. With Taekwoon and Jaehwan, it was like he'd gotten new coworkers. It didn't feel bad at all.  


"I'm going to pay dead people a visit," Hakyeon said, his voice too cheerful paired with the statement.  


The day had finally gotten interesting.  


  


 

It'd become cold. If the beginning of October had been still warm and mostly sunny, the end of it was gloomy and cold. Halloween was near.  


Jaehwan, on Taekwoon's behalf, was insisting on taking their car. Showing up in a shiny, expensive car would bring unnecessary attention to them. Even at the cemetery, in the middle of the night.  


Hakyeon's car was small and old; there were scratches along the door, and a small dent on the hood. Nobody commented on it, and Hakyeon was glad. It wasn't that he was a bad driver - Hongbin would say he drove like an old lady - but there had been some situations that made Hakyeon ride over the speed limit and ignore all the traffic regulations.  


Jaehwan kept standing by the driver's door, and Hakyeon rolled the window down. "Are you coming?"  


"Dead people?" Jaehwan blurted out. "As in vampires?"  


Hakyeon laughed, and then abruptly stopped when Taekwoon leaned over him, his hand splayed over the console. "Get in, Jaehwan."  


"Well, about that, I don't think-"  


Hakyeon sighed, pushing Taekwoon back into his seat. "If you'd rather stay, just go back upstairs and tell Sanghyuk to come instead."  


"No way," Sanghyuk said, once again appearing out of nowhere. It was like he was doing it on purpose as of late. Judging by Jaehwan's scandalized scream, it might have been true.  


"Will you stop doing that, you- creature of the night!"  


"At night, I prefer to sleep," Sanghyuk said matter-of-factly.  


Jaehwan, instead of scolding him further, snickered.  


"Anyway," Sanghyuk continued. "I'm not going to ruin your date." Hakyeon was too stunned to make a retort. "Call us if you need backup."  


Without waiting for an answer, Sanghyuk dragged Jaehwan back into the building.  


Hakyeon turned the radio on the moment he started the car. Taekwoon seemed content with it as he started to hum to the song immediately.  


Minding the road, Hakyeon tried not to ponder on Sanghyuk's comment. If Taekwoon wasn't going to discuss it, neither was Hakyeon. The fact that only two of them went, when Taekwoon wasn't even a part of Hakyeon's team, didn't mean a thing. And Hakyeon could think about a thousand better ideas for a date than going to the cemetery to stop whoever was going to try robbing a grave this time.  


The cemetery was placed almost outside of the city. The fence was tall, all grey brick, and the gateway was conveniently opened for them. Right behind it, attached to the tall wall, stood a small building. It was the same grey brick, a simple block with a set of tiny windows. Over the door, a lamp had been lit.  


Hakyeon knocked on the door. The atmosphere of the cemetery always got to him. With the energy surging through the ground under his feet, he felt flurried. Whatever Taekwoon was, it must have worked on him, too- he looked like he was ready to pounce.  


No wonder there were people willing to rob a cemetery, even try their luck at the old graveyard downtown. The energy at this time of the year was especially good.  


Wonsik looked sleepy as he appeared in the doorway. But he always did, Hakyeon concluded, pushing Taekwoon inside. The hall was nothing like the grim outside of the house. Walls were painted a warm cream color, and the room Wonsik brought them into was by all means cozy.  


No wonder, since Wonsik had been living there for a couple of years now.  


"They're already here," Wonsik said. He collapsed into his chair by the desk. "Spirits have been restless for a while. They're not happy."  


Hakyeon kept standing. "Wonsik is a medium," he said to Taekwoon who reminded standing as well. Then, back to Wonsik, "Do you have any idea who they are?"  


Wonsik sighed, shaking his head. "No idea. The one that contacted me was a new face. Human. Who is this, by the way?"  


Counting on Wonsik ignoring Taekwoon's presence wasn't a good idea.  


"Client," Hakyeon said tersely.  


Wonsik didn't comment on that, but there was this almost mocking smile on his face. "Well, be careful. That man was human, but he won't be alone for sure."  


Taekwoon squirmed by Hakyeon side; it was warm inside Wonsik's house, and they kept their coats on. "I'll wait outside," he said, and disappeared down the hallway.  


"Client? You brought a client on a job?"  


Stepping closer to the chair Wonsik sat in, Hakyeon made a move for his neck. "Shut up," he said, fake-strangling Wonsik. "Like you don't work while you, well- work!"  


It was true- Wonsik wasn't just a caretaker of the cemetery. Whenever he had free time, and he had lots of it living where he worked, Wonsik would make music. It brought more money, and helped with the spirits. Or that was what Wonsik said. They liked music, apparently.  


Hakyeon wondered if Wonsik could play something so the spirits would side with him, and not treat him like another intruder.  


"Okay, okay!" Wonsik swatted Hakyeon's hands away. "I won't say anything. I just hope there's more to him. Who knows what extras you're going to encounter tonight."  


That was what Hakyeon had been wondering about. Taekwoon's aura wasn't purely human, and Wonsik must have felt it as well.  


Hakyeon hummed in assent. "Actually, I'm looking for his stolen cat."  


He was ready for Wonsik to laugh at that, but he scolded him nonetheless when he did. "Don't laugh at another's misery, you insensitive fool."  


"Hey!" Wonsik straightened up in his seat. "I bury dead people-"  


"Exactly!" Hakyeon interrupted him.  


Wonsik waved his hands in protest. "That's not what I meant!"  


"They use portals."  


That made Wonsik sag against the backrest with a curse.  


There had been times Hakyeon doubted the case was worth the risk. He was be exhausted; not like he'd been busy the past couple of days, but he would wake up with thoughts gnawing at his mind, keeping him conscious even if it was still dark outside. He would remember Taekwoon's face, though. Not his blank stare, the one he'd had the first time they had met. Hakyeon would remember the smile Taekwoon wore on his face every time Jaehwan bantered with Hongbin or Sanghyuk. Or the small one, when Hakyeon shared his food with him.  


He also remembered the hundreds photos of Rocket Taekwoon had shown him last week.  


The fact that Taekwoon had already given them part of the money, and had been paying for their meals at the office- Hakyeon tried to tell himself it was why he was carrying on with it.  


"Be careful," Wonsik said at last.  


Hakyeon had thought Wonsik would be the first person to tell him to drop the case, so it surprised him that he hadn't. "I will," he smiled and left the room.  


By the door stood Taekwoon.  


"Were you eavesdropping?" Hakyeon teased him, stepping outside.  


"No," Taekwoon answered defensively. Hakyeon glanced at him dubiously. "I wasn't!"  


Hakyeon dropped the topic, heading into the first line of graves first.  


The main lanes were concrete, with cracked lines here and there from the years of use. But the further you got, the lanes started to disappear- there was only beaten ground between groups and groups of graves.  


When they stepped into a row of older tombstones, the ground gave in under their feet. It had been raining on and off the whole month, never giving the soil enough time to dry. They were going to need to give their shoes a major cleaning after they get back.  


It was dark, as they didn't want to let the thieves know of their presence, and in no time Taekwoon was grabbing Hakyeon's arm for support.  


"Be careful," Taekwoon warned, repeating Wonsik's previous words. Like he wasn't the one to hold onto Hakyeon with a claw-like grip.  


The size of the tombstones rose as they continued to walk further away from the main lanes. At the downtown graveyard, in the sacred ground, only humans had been buried. Here, on the wide plains of the cemetery, both humans and other species were buried.  


Hakyeon had walked past the human part of the cemetery- it wasn't in their nature to bury any valuables with the dead bodies of their loved ones. Robbers had a much better chance to find something in dwarven tombs, for example.  


They were going in the right direction, for sure- Hakyeon could feel the accumulated bundle of energy getting closer. Then, they saw a flicker of light between the tombstones.  


Before they could see anything, there was a sound, something between a laugh and a groan. It was followed by a flash of red eyes, and somehow Hakyeon was able to see it- a toddler-like creature, in toddler-like clothes. A toyol.  


It didn't try to attack them. It kept playing with a wreath by ripping the flowers out of it, not paying them any attention.  


But it didn't mean it wasn't dangerous- if its owner asked it to kill, the toyol probably would do it.  


There were ways to distract the creature even more, but, after mentally going through the content of his pockets, Hakyeon knew he wouldn't be able to do it. His magic wouldn't be enough to take it down, either. Killing it with bare hands... Hakyeon tried not to think about it. He wasn't one to perform such an act; the mere thought of it made his insides twist.  


The toyol's presence didn't bode well for what kind of people they were going to face.  


At Hakyeon's left, Taekwoon made a noise. The flickering of vigil light on the nearby grave was enough to let Hakyeon see Taekwoon's features. His eyes were gauging, like he was trying to weigh their chances.  


Hakyeon touched his right pocket; he was pretty sure he had at least one small candy in there. It would be a waste to use it now to distract the toyol. "Let's go around it, leave it be," he murmured to Taekwoon, pulling him to the left.  


It turned out they weren't interesting enough for the creature to follow them.  


Hakyeon's feet felt cold. He wondered if his boots had finally given in and soaked through. Taekwoon had been warm by his side this whole time, and Hakyeon reveled in it, ignoring what it could have meant.  


The burglars were waiting for them when they stepped into the light of their portable lamp. So the toyol did its job, in the end.  


Hakyeon would be able to take down a group of three people without much strain, but not like this. Not when one of them was a big feisty fairy, and not with a small toyol running between the graves, probably raised on blood, its teeth sharp as tiny knives. They could see it now. The long claws gave off a scratchy sound against the stone, unpleasant to one's ear. Dangerous.  


"Aren't you that Robin Hood guy?" one of the humans asked. The other one didn't stop his unsuccessful attempts to open the tomb's door. The fairy, visibly amused, didn't seem about to help him anytime soon. "I expected somebody that would look more threatening."  


Taekwoon's presence went unnoticed.  


"Handsome doesn't have to mean not dangerous," Hakyeon said. He concluded that a little bit of pointless chatter would give him the needed time to come up with a way out of the situation.  


"Judging by your reputation in town, it might be true."  


A compliment, amazing. Was it to let Hakyeon's guard down?  


Taekwoon shouldn't be here. Hakyeon should have called Hongbin, or summoned Sanghyuk. Maybe even both. What the hell was he thinking?  


"To be honest, Cha Hakyeon," Hakyeon tried not to wince at hearing his name spoken so carelessly, "I'm looking forward to finding out."  


Hakyeon charged the same moment the last word made it past the man's lips. He hit him with the energy he had accumulated throughout the short conversation. It served its purpose, sending the man onto the tomb they had been trying to open. He toppled over, but he stayed conscious. That was quite unfortunate.  


The fairy leaped at Hakyeon right after, and both Hakyeon and Taekwoon moved in opposite directions. It followed Hakyeon, the attacker, but he didn't have enough energy gathered to make another hit, so he threw one of the haze marbles at it. The grey dust and smoke glittered around them, and the fairy shrieked.  


At the same time, the other human lunged at Taekwoon. He had a thick crowbar in hand, and Hakyeon's heart jumped at the sight.  


But Taekwoon had his footing. He dodged the hurl just in time, and sent the man to his knees with a hard hit of his elbow to the man's spine.  


The fairy claws hooked into Hakyeon's coat when it came to its senses. Hakyeon jumped away, cursing, losing his focus on Taekwoon. Using another haze marble was pointless since Hakyeon wouldn't be able to take the fairy down anyway. He might be quite strong, but definitely not enough to take the big creature down.  


At this point, the only option was to run.  


It hadn't happened in so long, Hakyeon felt a sinking wave of disappointment. If he only had a chance to summon Sanghyuk...  


Hakyeon heard curses and a shout before he had a chance to flaunt another gush of energy, both him and the creature stilling mid-strike.  


This whole time, the toyol hadn't paid too much attention to the whole fight, too busy playing with the empty marble. It dropped the tiny ball now, and ignoring his master's calls disappeared through the tomb's door. Looks like their bond wasn't that strong, after all.  


Both humans that had been trying to take Taekwoon down were slowly backing away. And there was Taekwoon no more- instead, a huge figure of a very big cat was crouching there, ready to attack.  


It wasn't even a cat Hakyeon could identify. With its black fur but enormous head and paws, it looked like something between panther and a tiger.  


Was that what Hakyeon thought it was?  


Something Hakyeon hadn't seen must have happened, because instead of "shapeshifter" he heard a precarious "it's a hybrid" coming from the leader. Both men had drawn so far back they were pressed to the tomb they had been trying to rob.  


The cat growled. Hakyeon knew better not to move, and so did the fairy, but it looked over at the humans by the stone for any clues. The leader jerked his head in a "no".  


Hakyeon's voice was level when he said, "Looks like at least a part of the rumor was true."  


The leader as much as snarled in his direction, and, not stepping away from the tomb's wall, moved away from the scene, his human friend following right after. With the last glance, the fairy pushed Hakyeon to the ground and fleeted. Hakyeon wasn't sure if the toyol went with them.  


The cold from the damp ground seeped through Hakyeon's coat, and he rised to his feet. Afew feet away from him, the big cat lay down, with his head rested on his front paws. Leaving out the size of the animal, it looked harmless now. It looked cute, and had Taekwoon's eyes.  


But the hybrids were extinct. Or at least that was the common belief.  


"Taekwoon," Hakyeon said, crouching down to meet his eyes. The cat blinked tardily. "Do you intend to go back like that?"  


Taekwoon made a sound that resembled a snort.  


Hakyeon moved closer. He made it to Taekwoon, and put his hand between his ears. "Aren't you cute? Not that you weren't before, but…"  


Hakyeon faltered. Taekwoon, not able to respond, was causing Hakyeon to lose his nerve. It was easier to say those things now, when Taekwoon couldn't glare at him. Now, his cat eyes fell closed, and he pressed his head against Hakyeon's palm.  


"We need to go," Hakyeon sighed, straightening up. "I think they won't come back, and without them stealing anything, my job is done." Hakyeon looked over Taekwoon, and only then he saw the same clothes he had been wearing a while ago scattered around. "Oh my God, Taekwoon, you-"  


Hakyeon couldn't hold a laugh in, and he raised his hand to muffle it with his fist. Then, he turned around and urged Taekwoon to dress up quickly.  


He fought the strong desire to look over his shoulder, at Taekwoon's naked body illuminated in the soft light of the portable lamp the thieves left behind.  


Taekwoon's hand on his shoulder startled Hakyeon out of his treacherous thoughts. He turned back, to once again fully dressed Taekwoon, and they made their way in the direction they'd come from.  


Hakyeon didn't stop to report the events of the night to Wonsik; they hurried through the cemetery's lanes, outside the fence and to Hakyeon's car. Sending a message later on must suffice.  


When Hakyeon started his car, his mind had been already made up. "Let's get you cleaned up," he said to Taekwoon as he drove in the direction of his own apartment.  


  



	2. Chapter 2

 

So it was Taekwoon they had tried to kidnap the other night. The second they'd seen the cat they'd assumed it was him. How foolish of them.  


Hakyeon wondered about the last week- almost two weeks now- and how Taekwoon had never mentioned it. Most likely out of fear. Just as he'd spent almost all of that time in Hakyeon's office. He must have been afraid they were going to come for him when they realized Rocket was not a hybrid but an ordinary cat.  


They were going back to the office from Hakyeon's apartment, where they had changed their clothes, all in silence. Hakyeon had so many questions but he tried not to rush. If Taekwoon wanted to confine in him, he would, eventually, do it on his own terms.  


Hakyeon thoughts swam, getting back to events of the evening, and to how Taekwoon had waited by the door during their visit in Wonsik's house. Had he been scared that time, too? It was possible he'd been afraid of Wonsik figuring him out.  


Now, Taekwoon's stance was just resigned.  


The office was empty when they arrived. Hakyeon had taken it upon himself to assure everyone they were safe by calling Hongbin when Taekwoon had been cleaning himself up in Hakyeon's bathroom. He'd sent them off to bed.  


Jaehwan wasn't there though, and he was supposed to take Taekwoon home.  


"He might be sleeping upstairs," Hakyeon guessed. "Your car's still outside."  


Taekwoon might have or might have not been listening to him. The expression on his face was a troubled one as he was checking his clothes; he refused to borrow anything from Hakyeon.  


"I lost my phone," he finally said. "I'd have known if I had- if I didn't lose it."  


Hakyeon tried not to think how bad it might turn out, willing himself to stay calm. "I'm going to call Wonsik first in the morning to look for it." It should be better than going back there themselves- spirits liked Wonsik, and listened to him sometimes, so they might be of help.  


It didn't help Taekwoon much- he reminded unsettled.  


The office was unlit, lampposts giving enough light through the vast windows. Hakyeon moved to one of them to look at the street. The pavement had been long dry, and there was no greenery outside to judge what time of the year it truly was. Yet, somehow Hakyeon could tell it was fall. All the windows on the other side of the street were closed as people tried to protect themselves from the cold. Those tenements looked grimmer, and the hue of lampposts seemed fainter. A shiver ran down Hakyeon's body just from the sight outside.  


He could feel Taekwoon looming over him like an oncoming thunderstorm.  


"I can help you find those men," Hakyeon offered. He thought about Taekwoon's cat form; how strong it'd looked, how easily he could have torn anyone to shreds. But if people that were looking for him knew he was a hybrid, they probably knew how to catch him. "But I can't protect you from them."  


Taekwoon shook his head, and his hand landed on Hakyeon's shoulder. This time his hold was different than the one from earlier tonight. It was barely there, Taekwoon's fingers circling his biceps like he was afraid Hakyeon would try to fleet if he gripped tighter. His voice was like a whisper of the wind, brushing over Hakyeon's ear, when he said, "But you have."  


Ready to protest, Hakyeon turned around. He wanted to argue that him simply accompanying Taekwoon might have been keeping the kidnappers away for now, but it didn't mean protection. He'd barely been a watchdog this whole time.  


Hakyeon opened his mouth to voice it all out loud, but he didn't get a chance. Taekwoon moved quickly, right to his lips, covering them with his.  


To say Hakyeon was surprised was an understatement. It was equal parts taken-aback and thrilled. There was a pleasant tingling filling up his whole body, and his heart was pounding, pumping the blood at vertiginous speed. Taekwoon's lips were warm, a bit chapped from the wind. They weren't insistent- just slowly moving over his in a tentative slide.  


Lastly, one other feeling registered in Hakyeon's mind -apprehension.  


Hakyeon tried to back away; Taekwoon was his client, and he was in danger. They both were. "Taekwoon, we-"  


But Taekwoon didn't listen, kissing Hakyeon once more. He was so warm, again, and Hakyeon wondered if it was the hybrid blood running through Taekwoon's veins that made him so soft and inviting. Hakyeon pressing into him had been involuntary.  


They kissed, three, four more times, finally moving from the window to the old sofa.  


Hakyeon loved and hated the direction it was moving to.  


Taekwoon climbed his lap the moment Hakyeon plopped down on the couch. The sound he made when Hakyeon touched his hips was high and sweet.  


"Taekwoon," Hakyeon whispered against his lips; he then slowly worked his way down his jaw, to his neck. "We shouldn't." He rested his forehead against Taekwoon's collarbone. "At least not now."  


Taekwoon’s fingers hadn't stopped playing with Hakyeon's hair. "Don't you want it?" He asked in a small voice.  


The amount of hastiness before paralleled the amount of hesitance now. Taekwoon had stilled completely- now that Hakyeon knew, he couldn't help but notice Taekwoon resembled a cat more than he'd originally thought.  


"Oh, it's not that," Hakyeon said, because it really wasn't. He wanted it more than he was willing to admit. "But I really want to find those bastards, and you're enough of a distraction already."  


Just as Hakyeon suspected, when he looked at Taekwoon, he was smiling. It made Hakyeon smile back even wider.  


Taekwoon untangled one of his hands from Hakyeon's hair, and moved it to his mouth. "I like your smile," he mumbled, touching Hakyeon's bottom lip lightly.  


Hakyeon nipped at the fingertips, as if he was the cat and not Taekwoon. He muffled Taekwoon's quiet laugh with another kiss.  


It was surprising to him how eager Taekwoon seemed. His hands started to wander first, not Hakyeon's, and it elicited a moan out of Hakyeon when said hands brushed past his belt. It didn't take long for zippers to be opened.  


Taekwoon wasn't wearing underwear. Did he always, or had it gotten lost at the cemetery? Hakyeon's tongue was too busy pushing into Taekwoon's mouth to ask the question. Even when Taekwoon broke the kiss, Hakyeon was too occupied with watching him lick his palm, and then wrapping his long fingers around them both.  


It didn't took Hakyeon long to come; he refused to feel embarrassed. Taekwoon came not long after, his thighs quivering from the strain of keeping himself up. He fell back, head slumping against Hakyeon's sternum. He tried to push against Hakyeon in an attempt to cuddle, but the mess between them wouldn't allow it. With an audible sigh, he slid off his lap.  


Hakyeon reached for the kleenex box on the desk, and after grabbing a couple of tissues he handed it to Taekwoon.  


"I want to warn you- this piece of furniture is only good for naps," Hakyeon joked. But Taekwoon already knew, as he'd taken at least three naps on it.  


The moment Taekwoon finished wiping his hands, the dirty ball of tissues hit Hakyeon square on the face.  


It was hard to decide what was more disgusting- the fact that Taekwoon did it, or that Hakyeon couldn't stop laughing about it.  


  


 

All Hakyeon remembered was that after they'd cleaned up, they'd fallen asleep on the sofa, with Taekwoon pressed between him and the back of it  


Taekwoon was already awake when Hakyeon grabbed his phone to call Wonsik. He was squinting his eyes against all the light falling through the windows. It was a sunny day, for a change.  


Turned out, Wonsik had found the phone before Hakyeon had been able to even ask him to look for it.  


"It's good to have spirits on your side," Wonsik bragged through the speaker. Luckily, Wonsik couldn't see Hakyeon's unimpressed face. "Your text was terse," he added after Hakyeon had thanked him.  


Damn spirits, and their dead tongues.  


Hakyeon ignored Wonsik's attempt to fish any information out of him. "Just drop it off here as soon as possible, will you?"  


"I'm already on my way."  


Hakyeon wasn't sure what was worse: to wait a bit longer if Wonsik had decided it hadn't been that urgent, or to make himself and Taekwoon look presentable really fast as they should be doing now.  


It turned out it was too late anyway, as the door to the office opened and Hongbin, Sanghyuk and Jaehwan, came in. Good that neither Hakyeon nor Taekwoon had really taken any of their clothes off last night. It'd have made things even more awkward.  


"God damn it, Hakyeon," Sanghyuk said, like it really mattered to him. The thing was, it didn't. His eyes were full of jeer.  


But even though he knew Sanghyuk was mocking him, Hakyeon felt flustered. "Look who's talking," he retorted.  


Jaehwan snapped out of his daze, his questioning gaze turning amused. "Yeah, haven't you been damned since the day you were born?"  


Sanghyuk sighed theatrically, moving to his favorite spot by the window. He didn't speak until he was sitting down, legs dangling off the windowsill. "As I told you yesterday, Jaehwanie, it's not like every demon is out to get your soul or something." To Hakyeon's surprise Jaehwan didn't seem mad. Not until Sanghyuk added, "And it's not like all elves are saints."  


Sanghyuk, minding the window, didn't disappear when Jaehwan lunged at him. He laughed when Jaehwan grabbed his ear, tugging at it and screaming, "As if, as if!"  


For all this time, Taekwoon had been pressed against Hakyeon. He didn't try to get away but he was still embarrassed, hiding his face between Hakyeon's shoulder and the sofa. Hongbin's loud laughter as Jaehwan managed to drag Sanghyuk off his seat finally made him lift himself up.  


Hakyeon noticed how red Taekwoon's face was, and couldn't stop himself from reaching over to touch his equally red ear.  


"Too loud," Taekwoon complained, squirming under Hakyeon's touch.  


Raising his hands up, Hongbin clicked his mouth shut. Sanghyuk had been more or less quiet but he finally let go of squeaking Jaehwan who fell to the floor, breathless.  


Sanghyuk, the fearless and tireless Sanghyuk, wouldn't spare a chance to make a comment, though. "I don't know if it's the age thing," he began conversationally, "but how come you went from a boss-client relationship to old married couple one in the span of one night?"  


It made Hakyeon almost sit up. Almost. What actually did it was Wonsik appearing in the door that they'd failed to close.  


And that was exactly where Wonsik stayed, trying to take the whole room in. His gaze wandered from Taekwoon, now splayed over Hakyeon's chest, to Sanghyuk's legs thrown over Jaehwan who hadn't lifted himself up from the floor yet, finally settling on Hongbin behind the desk. He always liked to take Hakyeon's place there. Not that Hakyeon didn't prefer the sofa, anyway.  


"I don't want to know, do I?" Wonsik said, finally stepping in, and closing the door.  


Hongbin cleared his throat. "Played cards upstairs until Hakyeon let us know they were okay. None of us expected them to be _this_ okay."  


Both Jaehwan and Sanghyuk snorted from their spot on the floor.  


Wonsik only lifted his brows, moving to where Taekwoon tried to put both himself and Hakyeon to an upright position. The lost phone found its way to Taekwoon's outstretched hand when he finally sat up. It didn't look broken.  


"Someone was on your parent's grave," Wonsik said carefully. Taekwoon's expression darkened but he didn't stop inspecting the phone. "That's where I found your phone."  


When Taekwoon unlocked the screen, Hakyeon had to react immediately to grab the phone before it hit the ground. With one hand he held the phone, and into the other he took Taekwoon's trembling hand. He squeezed it when he read what had been put as the phone's wallpaper now.  


"And they left a message."  


  


 

Hakyeon felt both horrified and sick. But mostly, he was angry.  


The words _you don't even need to be an incubator_ in that plain font would appear behind his eyelids every time he closed his eyes. And it wasn’t what made Taekwoon, to everyone’s protests, ready to agree to meet the kidnappers- it was the threat to kill Rocket.  


"Call the police and meet them!"  


Everybody looked up at Jaehwan.  


Sanghyuk shook his head. "It's not how it's done, Jaehwan."  


Jaehwan threw the wrapping of chocolate bar he'd just eaten at Sanghyuk, and then shoot him a glare when the wrapping burned with a snap of Sanghyuk's fingers.  


Behind the desk, Hongbin looked like he wanted to argue, or maybe laugh- his expression was quizzical.  


Hakyeon was trying to come up with a plan, but without any further insight they would be acting blindly. They didn't know what kind of threat they were facing. Hakyeon wanted to get rid of them, to help Taekwoon get rid of the fear they'd poured into him. Easier said than done, and Taekwoon already knew that. Hakyeon had made it clear.  


Nobody had asked why the enemy would want Taekwoon for reproductive purposes yet. Hakyeon hoped they wouldn't. Or that Taekwoon would be the first to explain it.  


It was the second day after they had gotten the message, and they needed to make a decision soon. Whoever these people were, they set the final date to tomorrow night.  


Sanghyuk tried jumping between pentagrams, but demons tended to mind their own business. And when it came to business they liked money best. A lot had changed through centuries. Once popular barter had been replaced by capitalism. And money was much more useful than souls.  


But he got nothing; Hakyeon wasn't much more successful checking his own network the previous day. Even Hongbin's phone had been silent.  


In that rancorous atmosphere, the ringing of Hakyeon's phone sounded like hope.  


The caller's ID said Wonsik, and the hope had only risen.  


Hakyeon exhaled audibly before he picked up. "Wonsik."  


"You wouldn't believe who stopped by not long ago."  


"Wonsik," Hakyeon urged him.  


Everybody in the room was on the tenterhooks.  


"Yeah, sorry- The guys from the other night? They lost their toyol, and came back to look for it."  


"I'm guessing they didn't find it?" Wonsik hummed in assent. "Amateurs, the toyol would find them on their own. So what did you find out?"  


"They didn't exactly remember that night, Hakyeon. They were _made_ to do what they did."  


Hakyeon held in the curse. It was pretty serious, whatever kind of manipulation that was.  


"They met up with two guys. And those two guys, they said, weren't, as they put it, from here."  


It was hard to wrap his head around the information. "Weren't from here," Hakyeon repeated blankly.  


Everybody shared a look.  


"I have no idea what that mean, and they didn't really know themselves, but Hakyeon," the tone of Wonsik's voice was serious, "they looked scared."  


Mind manipulation, not from here- it all sounded rather ominous. And quite dangerous.  


The intricacy of it all had been making Hakyeon feel, first time since a very long time, ill at ease. On top of that, he also started to feel aggravated.  


He thanked Wonsik for the tip, promising to get drinks after they take care of it. With the last "be careful" from him, Hakyeon ended the call.  


Everyone in the room was looking at him. Hakyeon found it hard to meet their eyes.  


He rubbed his hands over his cheeks. He ought to made up his mind right there, right now. With a tired sigh, he tried to put a smile onto his face, even if it had to be a fake one.  


It was Hongbin who spoke first. "Hakyeon, what-"  


But Hakyeon knew what they needed to do. He shook his head, and his next words came out with a contrast to his sunny smile, "We're going to meet with those fuckers."  


  


 

The old factory area wasn't a new place for Hakyeon. He'd been here before for some jobs as it was the best place for shady business. The hangars had always looked menacing, with their big and dark figures. The outlines were painted on the ground by orange light of lamps that were left on. It created a maze of buildings and shadows, ready to engulf you, confuse and mislead.  


Hakyeon had never been so scared before.  


By his side, Taekwoon was an oasis of peace. He was eyeing the guarding gnomes with mistrust but beside that he looked unruffled.  


Jaehwan, on the other hand, was a set example of fear. He clung to Sanghyuk, the damnation of the demon's soul long forgotten.  


All the buildings were signed with letters and numbers, by the order that had never made any sense to Hakyeon. A maze, indeed. It took them a lot of wandering between the walls to find what they have been looking as they avoided the unlit alleys in fear of what might be hiding in the dark. They were already on a losing position, and any additional trouble was highly unwelcome.  


Finally, they stopped in front of the right one, the one that had been mentioned in the message. F43a. The door had been cracked open.  


Inside, the air felt charged, with magic or electricity. Most probably both. There was nothing of interest there except for a few boxes lined up against one of the walls. In the middle of the vast space of the hangar sat a man.  


They stood in line; even Jaehwan didn't hide behind Sanghyuk. In front of them unfurled a very bizarre scene.  


On a square rug stood an armchair, similar in color and shape to the sofa in Hakyeon's office. In said armchair sat a man not much older than any of them, and he would have looked fairly normal if his choice of clothes wasn't so odd. He had an undershirt put over a semi-elegant striped shirt, and a coat over it all, made of something Hakyeon wasn't familiar with.  


There was another man at his left- tall and slim, with a crooked smile over his lips. Hakyeon could see electricity sparks dancing between his fingers. It made them jerk when an impulse run from one to another. Whoever he was, he obviously lacked control. The place only wasn't pitch-black because of him touching a thin floor lamp.  


It looked like a music video set.  


Hakyeon saw a pentagram on the floor, right next to the armchair. So they had a demon of their own, wherever he might be at the moment. Not there yet, or hiding in the shadows- it didn't matter. The amount of power these men held was still unknown.  


"You've made it," the man in the armchair said. His eyes reminded Hakyeon of a fish; they were light and moist. "That's quite a cavalry you've brought with you, Jung Taekwoon."  


Hakyeon wondered if the man could have heard Taekwoon's quiet snort. They were keeping their distance, for now.  


"Since I'm a mere pawn in the process of acquiring a tool crucial to our survival, my name isn't important." He made a motion with his hand for the tall man to move, and the man picked up the lamp and waved it to the right.  


It revealed something that had been hidden in the dark until now -a cage. It wasn't the type of a rusty rod you often saw in the movies, or on the animal market. It was silver and shiny, looking very much new- definitely not made with just simple metal. Hakyeon wouldn't be surprised if it was created to prevent any magical person or creature from using their power.  


"I was surprised how weak your world is," the man in the armchair continued. "The magic on our Earth is stronger. Demons have been banished, though. Very unfortunate, I must say."  


Our Earth? So it hadn't been _just_ a teleport they'd used. It'd been a teleport to travel through dimensions.  


Everybody was too stunned to comment on that, thus the man continued. "You see, the history of my Earth went differently. We've had conflicts, wars that lead to extinction of a lot of races. Some disappeared, irrevocably, but there are those on the brink of extinction. There's still a chance to save them."  


"There's no guarantee my child will inherit it," Taekwoon spoke.  


"Child, no, but children..." Taekwoon took the step back. "We have enough women willing to carry the babies so that some of them will inherit it, for sure."  


So Taekwoon wouldn't become an incubator. Those women would. How was it supposed to be reassuring, Hakyeon's brain couldn't comprehend. No wonder they'd managed to make so many species go extinct in their oh so filled with magic world, having a mindset like this. There must be more issues the man wasn't telling them about, and probably wouldn't even if Hakyeon had pressed. Or he would simply tell lies.  


The man smiled, and it even looked nice, in opposition to his next words, "We won't take you for long, hybrid. After all the volunteers are impregnated, and the minimum necessary amount of babies carrying the right genes is delivered, we'll send you back."  


It meant nine months at least, but probably a lot longer as every woman's cycle was different. There ought to be fails, too, maybe even miscarriages. Hakyeon felt sick. Was trying to rescue a species even worth it?  


"No," Hakyeon said, even though it wasn't his decision to make. "It's not worth it. You shouldn't have driven a species into extinction in the first place. Using other people to achieve your goal is not right. What you're trying to do is despicable."  


Taekwoon didn't correct him, remaining transfixed by his side.  


The air was charged, and Hakyeon wondered if it was the man's with the lamp doing, or his own energy pulsing under his skin. Hongbin's jaw was set tight, and even Jaehwan looked ready to fight. He took a step forward, and by his left Hakyeon saw Sanghyuk disappearing.  


There was an abrupt yelp, cut off in the middle, and the next second Sanghyuk was back, but not alone. His hand was clasped on a boy's shoulder, and in the boy's arms was a cat.  


Taekwoon let out a gasp but didn't move.  


"Sungjae," the man in the armchair hissed. "You had one task, demon-"  


"I'm still holding the cat, aren't I?" The boy argued, stroking the cat's head the whole time. In his arms, the cat - Rocket - was purring loudly. "You should have told me one of my kind is also going to be here tonight."  


Sanghyuk snorted. "And I forgot my kind can be bought with a poorly drawn pentagram."  


"Hey," Sungjae protested. Rocket started to wriggle, biting at Sungjae's fingers. "It takes a lot more to buy me!"  


"Like, for example," Sanghyuk said with his eyes fixated on Taekwoon, "twice as much as they're giving you?"  


Before Hakyeon had a chance to scold him, in the middle of it all, Taekwoon nodded.  


The man from the armchair raised himself up. His clothes looked even more ridiculous as he stood. "Demon, you promised-"  


"Technically, you still haven't paid me, so..." Sungjae shrugged, and then both he and Sanghyuk disappeared, just to pop up right in front of them.  


Hakyeon shouted, taken by surprise, and then immediately went for Sanghyuk's neck, chopping it with his hand. Taekwoon got startled, too, but as soon as he saw Rocket he reached his hands for the cat.  


It looked like a miniature version of Taekwoon's cat form- black fur, and squinty eyes.  


Sungjae retreated to stood by Hakyeon's other side, and smiled at him. The stretch of his mouth was cunning, and yet Hakyeon smiled back. He shouldn't be so sanguine toward the demon, especially in the given situation, but he trusted Sanghyuk, so with Sungjae it was another dance with the devil.  


They didn't have more than a second or two to react when the man in odd clothes shouted "Now!". The lamp flew in their direction and they moved at random as it became dark the moment the guy stopped touching it.  


The scream that followed the flash of electricity made Hakyeon curse. He could've blocked it, if he only knew where it'd been going. His own magic was too weak to create a shield.  


The kidnappers were silent so it was even harder to decide what to do next. He tried to throw a haze marble, but it was useless. Hitting ground, it broke, only the sparkles of the spell visible in the dark. Hakyeon had focused on the marbles which he could use in a direct encounter so he'd only taken one flare. He'd use it if he knew whether the others were ready to attack.  


Before he could decide on his next move, a pair of hands found him; he almost flinched away but the touch was only a searching one, the fingers carefully curling around Hakyeon's.  


"Hakyeon," it was Jaehwan's voice, "I can't make a shield alone." That was the exact same thought Hakyeon had, and he knew what Jaehwan had in mind before the next words followed, "But together we should be able to make it."  


Behind them, something growled. Not something- someone, Taekwoon, because it didn't sound like a cat as small as Rocket. Wherever the poor thing had stowed away.  


On all fours, Hakyeon moved back, dragging Jaehwan along with him. Another flash flared up not far away from them. "Taekwoon," Hakyeon whispered. "Stay where you are." He had no idea where Hongbin was, and calling for him would draw attention to them.  


Taekwoon's tail was swishing against the floor. Hakyeon gripped Jaehwan's hand with his, the magic surging between them, converting, blending-  


Hakyeon hadn't had a chance to throw the flare because the armchair had been set on fire. "Right on time," Hakyeon sighed. Tugging at Jaehwan's hand to focus, they raised the barrier.  


In front of them, Sungjae was straddling the tall man, lightings disappearing inside his mouth- he was swallowing his energy up. The other man was still up. Hakyeon expected Sanghyuk to take care of him, but instead the demon appeared right next to them.  


"He tried to enter my head," Sanghyuk said. He looked beyond angry, more than Hakyeon had ever seen him. "Tried to command me, and when it didn't work, he screamed until I couldn't take it."  


The armchair was slowly burning out. Sungjae spat the flashings he'd engulfed right at the face of the man underneath him. The man gurgled, and the splashing sound might have been his eyes popping. Hakyeon didn't turn his head to check.  


Taekwoon must have heard everything, because he jumped from behind them, going right for the man. Hakyeon didn't even have time to scream, to shout "what the hell are you doing?" but he didn't need to. Nothing bad happened- Taekwoon didn't fall onto the ground, roaring in pain. He bit down the kidnapper's throat, and it was the man who was screaming, his clear voice turning into a wet gurgle.  


Jaehwan's hand slowly let go of Hakyeon's, and the barrier fell. It was like a pair of shackles had been unlocked, leaving Hakyeon tired and numb.  


Both men were lying dead but their silhouettes slowly disappeared in the darkness as the armchair finally burnt down. It was a heap of debris now, glowing faintly.  


Hakyeon cracked the flare and threw it onto the floor. Sungjae rolled away from the guy he'd just killed, whining. Taekwoon, with his black fur, was barely visible in the poorly lit hangar. His eyes looked like two golden stars up in the night sky.  


A more than familiar sound could've been heard from the outside, and Hakyeon promptly sat on his ass. It was cold, but he didn't care. He was exhausted, and not ready for another encounter that night.  


When the sound became more distinct, it caught up with everybody.  


"Who the hell called the cops?"  


Sanghyuk's words made Jaehwan stop from crawling in Taekwoon's direction. "I wonder, because you told me not to, so I didn't!"  


From the far corner, came Hongbin's rumbling voice. "Only so I could call them at the right time."  


Hongbin. Hakyeon's head spun. He felt both relieved and guilty because he almost forgot about his friend. Where had he been this whole time?  


Before more questions could be asked, or a quarrel ensued, the door to the hangar opened, and a group of policemen came in, with guns and flashlights in hands.  


Only then Hakyeon was able to finally see Hongbin. His hair was gone, and his forehead was full of wrinkles- just like Big Kim's. Same went for his hands: bigger, fingers thicker, skin calloused. Hakyeon was sure his feet also weren't his- it was like he'd gotten stuck in the middle of turning into Big Kim, or back to himself.  


"I froze," Hongbin spat. "It was- I panicked, and my shapeshifting power along with me."  


"When will you unfreeze?"  


"I don't know, it's never happened before."  


Everybody gathered around while the police checked the scene. The door was blocked by two officers. Sanghyuk and Sungjae disappeared, obviously- when there was a murder, demon presence wasn't welcome.  


The agent Hakyeon knew all too well from their previous encounters sighed, looking at them with resignation. "Really, now? What was it- smuggling?"  


"Ilhoon," Hakyeon greeted him. Despite liking the guy, he didn't feel like dealing with him right now. "I hope it won't be a problem to report everything tomorrow? It was one hell of a night."  


Ilhoon looked around, at his people checking the two bodies, the burnt armchair and the cage. He shook his head, crooking a smile. "Changsub is going to be furious."  


"I can help you identifying those two, to appease the Chef." At Ilhoon hum of assent, Hakyeon continued. "You won't find them in files- they were from a different dimension."  


Ilhoon's expression was caught between astonishment and amusement. "Fucking different dimension, okay. I'm not even going to ask about the cat," he said, looking at Taekwoon sternly. "Just be at the station in the morning."  


Hakyeon saluted him, and with a nod Ilhoon moved over to talk to his team.  


Finally, Hongbin got back to being fully himself again. It might have had something to do with Jaehwan's hands over his shoulders and neck. Elven magic had been a mystery to Hakyeon since his early days in coeducational elementary school.  


Taekwoon had seated himself at Hakyeon's feet, and was currently licking his paw and cleaning his face with it. Hakyeon tried not to imagine him doing the same thing in his human form.  


"You won't fit into the car like this, Taekwoon," he said, touching the cat's head tentatively, just like he did that night on the cemetery. And just like that night, Taekwoon nuzzled against Hakyeon's palm. That didn't make for much of an answer.  


One of the officers handed him Taekwoon's coat and a bunch of things that looked like remnants of the rest of Taekwoon's clothing. Looked like Hakyeon didn't have much choice but to travel with a big cat on his lap. He feared the car's chassis wouldn't be able to take it.  


"Let's go," he said, scratching Taekwoon behind his ear one last time. It was becoming a habit.  


They were by the door, the policemen stepping aside without a word, when Ilhoon called to them, "What's with the cage?"  


"Fucking different dimension!" Hongbin replied, grinning.  


Hakyeon could swear Ilhoon rolled his eyes at that. "It can be of great use," he said. "Pretty sure it's able to bind any magic behind those bars."  


"Thanks but no, thanks. We have our own special cells," Ilhoon said bleakly. "I'm taking it under police impound." After a second, he continued, and this time his voice was full of mirth. "On the worst scenario, I'll give it to Changsub as a birthday gift."  


They all laughed at that, even the officers guarding the door.  


  


 

Rocket had been patiently waiting for them on the hood of the car.  


Hongbin kept touching his forehead, still unsettled, pressing his fingers where the wrinkles had been, but when he saw the cat, he lowered his hand. "Are you sure he's not another hybrid, in the end?" he asked, cocking his head to the side. "Shapeshifter? Magical cat?"  


Making use of the occasion, Taekwoon licked Hongbin's hand, whipped him with his tail, and jumped to where Rocket was leaning over the bumper.  


Hongbin yelped, offended. "Ugh, I thought this cat is a domesticated one."  


Taekwoon turned from nosing at Rocket's side and snapped his teeth once, making Hongbin laugh nervously. He went to the passenger seat rounding the car from behind- a safe distance from Taekwoon.  


Handing Jaehwan the keys, Hakyeon got in the back. He left the door open for Taekwoon. And Rocket, whom Taekwoon dropped on Hakyeon's lap after carrying him in his mouth by his nape; the cat's fur was wet.  


It was a tight fit, even with Hakyeon pressed against the door. At least Rocket was calmly cleaning his fur, unperturbed by the moving car.  


Hakyeon threw the coat over Taekwoon. "We're not driving to your place," he said to him. One of Taekwoon's cat ears twitched. "It'd be too long of a ride. I have some spare clothes in the office." He tried to cover him better with the coat, without startling Rocket. "You can turn and wear the coat until we get there."  


Taekwoon let out uncommitted sound. He didn't look too eager to do so. He put his big head on Hakyeon's lap, snuggling against Rocket. Hakyeon sighed, resigned, and started petting them both. He tried not to cringe at the sound the car made when they run over a particularly high speed bump.  


Out of nowhere, Jaehwan started to laugh. "We're not going to jail, right?"  


Hongbin laughed, too, but it was completely different kind of laugh from Jaehwan's hysteric one. "Not when you're with us."  


"Best company, indeed," Jaehwan snorted nervously, but he seemed calmer.  


Hakyeon coughed. "Must be, since you've spent a lot of nights upstairs."  


They all knew upstairs meant Hongbin's apartment that was right above the office.  


"Like Taekwoon hasn't been staying downstairs, for that matter."  


Hakyeon was sure Jaehwan said it only because Taekwoon couldn't scold him right now.  


"Well," Jaehwan continued. He slowed before another speed bump but the car still jumped a bit. "Sorry, it's- damn streets- what I wanted to say is that everything's better than staying alone in the same house that had been invaded by crazy scientist from a different dimension."  


But you're going to go back to living in that house, Hakyeon thought. They had never spoken about what was supposed to happen after the case was solved. Taekwoon hadn't mentioned anything about changing the locks, or going back to the suburbs at all. The past few days - weeks, if they were being honest - Taekwoon had barely spent time at his pretty little house. Didn't he miss home?  


There was another speed bump, and Jaehwan yelled at it, to Hongbin's great amusement. Taekwoon made a cute currying sound as it shook him out of sleep- it rumbled against Hakyeon thighs. Rocket didn't mind, only changing position a bit, and both cats were back into slumber in no time. Hakyeon stopped himself from cooing out loud. So cute.  


He hoped it wasn't the end.  


  


 

Maybe it was Taekwoon's soft voice or maybe it was in the way Taekwoon's eyes softened every time he listened to Hakyeon, but he found it easier to communicate with Taekwoon. It was easier for Hakyeon than with Sanghyuk on most days, and a lot easier than with Hongbin when he was in one of his snarky moods. It was much easier even though Taekwoon didn't say much.  


So when Taekwoon didn't visit even once after that night, Hakyeon felt a pang of hurt.  


Or maybe even more than that.  


"You're moping."  


Hakyeon decided to ignore Hongbin's statement. His friend knew him well, so whether he opposed or stayed silent, Hongbin wouldn't be fooled.  


He tried not to be bitter about it, he really did. They'd never discussed the thing between them, but Hakyeon had been affectionate with Taekwoon all that time, and Taekwoon not even once had told him to stop. Hakyeon had texted him, and Taekwoon had had enough decency to answer, but it'd been as short and curt as always. Lying on the overused red sofa in the office, scrolling through the messages, Hakyeon could imagine them spoken in Taekwoon's soft voice. After spending a few weeks together, Hakyeon was able to hear that tiny voice inside his head way to easily.  


He groaned, burying his face in the leather armrest.  


The screen of Hakyeon phone dimmed, the last message he'd sent disappearing from sight.  


_id like to check on the other cat ;) can we meet?_  


Judging by the lack of response for five constructive days, Hakyeon had right to feel miserable. Taekwoon obviously didn't want to meet.  


Hakyeon was a man of great memory, and he collected everything deep inside his mind. That was why he could remember the night after they'd gotten rid of the other dimension guys. Taekwoon, still in his cat form, had climbed the stairs to Hakyeon's office, leaving the coat for Hakyeon to carry. Rocket hadn't needed any help, following Taekwoon's steps easily. Hongbin had dragged Jaehwan to his apartment upstairs, with the half-elf putting no resistance at all. If anything, Jaehwan's tired smile had been thankful.  


Rocket had taken less time to find a place to fall asleep than Taekwoon to dress in Hakyeon's borrowed clothes. And they had both spent the night here, again. The only exception had been Taekwoon disappearing the next morning, without a word.  


He should have dragged Taekwoon to the coffee shop with him. But would it have changed anything? Probably not- Taekwoon would still have disappeared after Hakyeon had gone to the police station.  


Speaking of which- the whole case got buried as interdimensional travels and mind control; it wasn't something police liked taking care of. No people responsible for the crime - no problem. And manipulated people never got charged, anyway.  


It was a real fluke they had gotten away with it.  


Vexation rose up in Hakyeon at the thought that Taekwoon was the lucky one, too. He got to come back home, with Jaehwan and Rocket. He got to walk away without a scratch.  


Hakyeon scolded himself immediately- it wasn't like that, not at all. Taekwoon had had to kill the man that had wanted to use him for his sick plan. He might feel awful about it, and Hakyeon wouldn't even know how to help because he'd never taken a life.  


His own bitterness was clouding his mind. He'd clung to the idea of being with Taekwoon too much, and it was taking its toll on him. Blaming the other, resenting him- it was unfair. The only unpleasant emotion Hakyeon should have been experiencing was disdain of his own thoughts.  


He just missed Taekwoon, more than he would have imagined.  


When the knock on the door came, it was faint. Hakyeon had been hoping for a new case as much as he had waited for Taekwoon to come. That's why he was first to get on his feet, and also why he was rendered speechless when it happened to be the latter.  


Wrapped in a thick scarf, black coat on, wasn't a stranger- it was Taekwoon.  


"Taekwoon!" Hongbin greeted him, interrupting the awkward silence. He skipped to the door, poking Taekwoon on the chest. "I almost thought you'd never visit us again. Even though it was Hakyeon who worried about it the most."  


Hakyeon sliced Hongbin's neck. Ought to be Hongbin who would embarrass him like that.  


His expression was free of any remorse, obviously. "Gotta go ask Jaehwan if he wants to come over. We should definitely go eat together." Only when he was on the stairs - didn't Hongbin have his phone with him to call Jaehwan? - he turned around, adding, "It’s on you, Taekwoon, for making Hakyeon wait," and ran up, as if Hakyeon would chase and punish him for his words.  


Not that Hakyeon hadn't felt the urge.  


"Insufferable brat," Hakyeon muttered, all but fond.  


Something warm, and something akin to relief settled in his heart at the chuckle behind him when he was closing the door. They took the sofa, as they always did, and it wasn't that awkward anymore. If anything, being alone with Taekwoon made Hakyeon nervous. On what page were they now, exactly?  


Nervous or not, it wouldn't be like Hakyeon not to talk first. "How's Rocket?"  


Taekwoon tried looking at him, but his eyes quickly wandered away from his face, settling at some point over Hakyeon's shoulder. "He's fine, thanks."  


Hakyeon repeated what he'd already asked in the text, "And the other cat?"  


Leaning closer, than back away, it took Taekwoon a moment to answer it. He took a deep breath, laughing at the end of the exhale. "I sold the house," he said, and this time he set his gaze on Hakyeon.  


Hakyeon found himself surprised by the sudden statement, to say the least. On the other hand, it made a lot of sense when he let it sink in.  


"Oh, was it because of what happened?"  


Taekwoon shook his head. "I like the city better."  


It was so easy to fall into an easy conversation with Taekwoon that Hakyeon forgot about being miffed with him. In the end, Taekwoon had come.  


"Where did you move, then?"  


Taekwoon ducked his head. He looked embarrassed but he was smiling. "Down the road."  


There had been a truck in front of one of the blocks earlier this week. It was equally old as this one but somebody had enough money to renovate it. New windows, insulation, even the front door had been replaced. It must have costed a fortune to live there.  


Hakyeon couldn't stop himself from grinning. No matter how fancy Taekwoon's new place might be, all Hakyeon cared about was the fact that he had moved right here, where Hakyeon spent most of his days. He tentatively moved closer.  


Looking up at him, Taekwoon's smile didn't slip off his face. He looked so cute with the big scarf wrapped around his neck.  


Hakyeon reached for it, to the layers of red wool, and it felt a bit itchy against his fingers. He untangled the scarf slowly, and when it slipped off to the floor, the red had stayed- on Taekwoon's cheeks.  


They started kissing before Taekwoon had a chance to take off his coat fully, one of his hands getting stuck in the sleeve.  


Hakyeon laughed into the kiss when Taekwoon kept shaking his hand in an attempt to throw it off. "Stop trying to-" _kill it_ he'd wanted to say but stopped himself in time. He pursed his lips; they would need to talk about it some time. But Taekwoon had barely come back to him, so it had to wait.  


Taekwoon was shaking his head, like he could read Hakyeon's mind. He'd gotten rid of the coat, finally, and kissed Hakyeon once again, chastely, on the lips, then cheek, and-  


He licked Hakyeon's ear, rubbing his face against his neck.  


So the hybrid did come out of him even in his human form, sometimes.  


"I'm sorry," he mumbled, his breath ticklish on Hakyeon's skin. "I just- I've missed you."  


Hakyeon move his hand to Taekwoon's hair, to comb his fingers through the soft strands as he already knew that it was the best way to comfort him. "Me too," he said. His heart skipped a beat, and even the magic inside him felt like it was singing. "I've missed you, too, kitten."  


If they only could take the day off, to stay like this and cuddle for hours.  


It felt bad to remind Taekwoon about the lunch they were supposed to have with their friends when he looked up at Hakyeon with shining eyes. He tried shutting Hakyeon up with his lips, but Hakyeon kept pushing him away playfully. He got what he wanted when he proposed a dinner at his place later, and it was Hakyeon who knocked their noses together in the hurry of reconnecting their mouths.  


Taekwoon's expression was of total resentment when there was a knock on the door, followed by Hongbin's voice. "Are you two dressed?"  


Hakyeon snorted, at both Taekwoon's face and the question. "Enough to kick your ass."  


Hongbin's laugh was muffled, turning clearer when he walked in, Jaehwan in tow.  


"I didn't know you'd come today!" Jaehwan said excitedly.  


Hakyeon seized both Jaehwan and Taekwoon up. "You don't live together anymore?"  


It was Hongbin who answered, "The truck we saw the other day? It wasn't just for Taekwoon."  


But what did it mean? Did Jaehwan move somewhere near, too?  


Hakyeon didn't have the chance to get all the answers as the pentagram in the corner sizzled, fired, an two demons fell through it, landing in a heap on the floor. The pentagram now was ruined, almost half of it smudged due to Sanghyuk wrestling with Sungjae on the floor.  


Every pair of eyes in the room turned to them.  


Sanghyuk, finally getting off Sungjae who was bursting with laughter, brushed the chalk off his jeans. He didn't seem bothered by all four of them zeroing on him. He pointed at Sungjae, and said, "Whoever is paying for the food is also paying for him."  


Hongbin groaned sternly. "Does he know the rules?"  


Sungjae, following Sanghyuk's steps and getting to his feet, gave them a smile full of teeth. "At your service, sir."  


It looked like they had another pair of hands, or rather horns, to help around here.  


 

 

**Author's Note:**

> i had no idea how to tag it, especially without spoiling anything, but i hope it's all covered :o


End file.
